Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze how poets use sound effects (e.g., alliteration, internal rhyme, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme) to reinforce meaning in poems.
5th Grade Reading - Poetry Lesson
Poetry
A poem is a genre (or type) of literature. Usually, a poem uses a lot of figurative language and has a song-like quality.
These are the elements and types of poetry:
Elements of Poetry:
Rhyme scheme: the pattern in which the end-rhymes of different lines in the poem match
Rhythm: the beat of the poem created by the use of strong and weak syllables, you can clap to the rhythm of the poem
Meter: the pattern and the number of strong and weak syllables that create the rhythm of a poem
Types of Poetry:
Ballad
A long poem that uses simple language. Often, a word or a phrase is repeated in each stanza.
Example: "The Ballad of the Reading Gaol" by Oscar Wilde
Epic
A long poem about a hero and his or her heroics, often a long journey.
Example: "The Odyssey" by Homer
Free Verse
A poem that does not use a fixed rhyme scheme (or rhymes at all) and is not written using a meter.
Example: "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand
Lyrical Poem
A poem that uses a rhyme scheme and is usually written in a meter. Most lyrical poems are written to share the author's thoughts or feelings.
Example: "I am Nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson
Sonnet
A lyrical poem that has a fixed meter, number of lines, and a rhyme scheme.
Example: the Shakespearean sonnet "Sonnet Number 18" has 14 lines
5th Grade Reading - Poetry Lesson